FCA Handbook search: finding and reading the right rule

A question comes up in a file review: does the ongoing service agreement need to mention the right to cancel? Someone is sure it does, someone else thinks it is only guidance, and nobody can find the exact wording. Twenty minutes later you have three browser tabs open, a summary from a trade article and an old training slide, and you are still not certain what the rule actually says.

The FCA Handbook is the definitive source, and reading it directly is a core compliance skill. This guide covers practical FCA Handbook search for advice firms: the sourcebooks you will use most, how references are built, what the markers after each number mean, and how to make sure you are reading the version in force.

The sourcebooks an advice firm uses most

The Handbook is divided into sourcebooks, each with a short code. For a firm giving retail investment and pension advice, a handful do most of the work:

Alongside the Handbook, the FCA publishes documents with their own prefixes. The ones you will meet most often are finalised guidance (such as FG21/1 on vulnerable customers), consultation papers (such as CP26/10) and policy statements (such as PS22/9, which introduced the Consumer Duty). A consultation paper is a proposal; only the policy statement and the resulting Handbook text change the rules.

How a Handbook reference is built

Take COBS 9A.3.9R. Read from left to right:

• COBS is the sourcebook.
• 9A is the chapter. Chapters with a letter are separate chapters, not subsections: COBS 9 and COBS 9A cover suitability for different kinds of business.
• 3 is the section within the chapter.
• 9 is the provision within that section.
• R tells you what kind of provision it is.

Knowing the structure helps you search. If you know the suitability report rules sit in COBS 9.4 and COBS 9A.3, you can go straight to the section and read the provisions around the one you need, which often qualify it.

What the R, G and E markers mean

The letter at the end of a reference matters a great deal.

R: a rule

An R is a rule, and it binds the firm. TC 2.1.15R, for example, requires "a minimum of 35 hours of appropriate continuing professional development in each 12 month period" (TC 2.1).

G: guidance

A G is guidance. It explains how the FCA sees a rule or what it expects, but it is not itself a rule. The next provisions show the difference: TC 2.1.16G refers to "no less than 21 hours of structured continuing professional development activities". That figure sits in guidance, while the 35-hour minimum sits in a rule. Treating the 21 hours as a rule, or ignoring it because it is guidance, are both mistakes.

E: an evidential provision

You will also see provisions marked E, which are evidential provisions linked to a rule. If you meet one, read it alongside the rule it relates to rather than on its own.

The wording inside a provision matters too. "Must" imposes a requirement; "may" gives permission. SYSC 10A.1.13R, for example, says "the content of relevant face-to-face conversations with a client may be recorded by using written minutes or notes" (SYSC 10A.1). That is a permission, not an obligation to audio-record.

Check you are reading the rule in force

The Handbook changes, and old text can linger in training material and articles. Before you rely on a provision:

1. Check its status. A provision that has been removed can show when it was last in force. COBS 11.8, for example, was "last in force on 02/01/2018", with the rules moved to SYSC 10A (SYSC 10A.1).
2. Check the effective date. Some provisions show the date from which a version applies. COBS 9A.3.3R, for instance, has a version in force from 23 October 2025 (COBS 9A.3).
3. Check for live consultations. CP26/10 proposes merging COBS 9 and COBS 9A and "Replacing the annual suitability review with periodic reviews based on clients' needs" (CP26/10). These are proposals; the rules in force still apply until a policy statement changes them.

Reading a rule properly

Finding the provision is half the job. A few habits make the reading reliable:

• Read the whole provision. Rules often have numbered parts. COBS 9A.2.6R lists three kinds of knowledge and experience information, qualified by "to the extent appropriate".
• Read the exceptions. SYSC 9.1.1R applies to "A firm (other than a common platform firm)". The words in brackets decide whether it applies to you.
• Check which chapter applies. COBS 9.2.1R(2) sets the information requirements for non-MiFID business, while COBS 9A has its own in COBS 9A.2.1R. Retention periods also differ: TC 3.1.1R sets "at least 5 years for MiFID business" and "3 years for non-MiFID business" (TC 3.1).
• Read the guidance next to the rule. TC 2.1.3G explains how much more intense supervision should be before an adviser is assessed as competent. The rule alone does not say.
• Quote exactly. When you record a finding, copy the wording and the reference. A paraphrase invites argument.

Our compliance file review checklist shows these provisions in use, part by part, and suitability report requirements works through COBS 9.4.7R and COBS 9A.3.3R in detail.

FCA Handbook search inside Scrutineer

Scrutineer includes Ask the FCA Handbook: you ask a question directly and get an answer with the rule reference. It sits alongside Scrutineer's file reviews, where every finding is tied to a named FCA rule with the supporting passage quoted from the file. Treat any answer, from software or a colleague, as a pointer: open the provision itself, read it in full and confirm it is current before you rely on it. The interpretation, and the responsibility for it, stay with your firm.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between R and G in the FCA Handbook?

R marks a rule, which binds the firm. G marks guidance, which explains the FCA's view or expectations but is not itself a rule. TC 2.1.15R (35 hours of CPD) and TC 2.1.16G (21 structured hours) show the two side by side.

How do I know if a Handbook rule is still in force?

Check the provision's status and dates on the Handbook itself. A deleted provision can show when it was last in force, and some show the date a version took effect. Also check for consultations that propose changes.

Is a consultation paper the same as a rule change?

No. A consultation paper sets out proposals. The rules change only when the FCA publishes its final position and the Handbook text is updated.

See how Scrutineer ties every finding to a named rule, or book a twenty-minute demo with Adam Booth on Microsoft Teams, run live on a demo firm with nothing to prepare.